During the Obama campaign to become President, he consistently spoke about how he wanted serious earmark reform and how he was going to limit the total earmark spending to that of 1994 levels. His opponent, John McCain, vowed to cut earmarks off completely. They are frivolous wastes of money. If they cannot pass on their own, they should not be force-fed to the American public through the blatant misuse of political power and agenda pushing. In 1994, about $7.8 billion was spent on earmarks… I guess that promise is out the window.

The $400 billion bill contains nearly 9,000 earmark line items that account for almost $8 billion of American taxpayer funds. These are the line items that have been identified by various groups and are public knowledge. Obama himself has acknowledged the existence of these non-essential additions of expenses… his excuse is that he did not have time to examine and prioritize the current bill. The timing of the bill was of the utmost importance to keep the doors of the government open… Do you care if the government’s doors are open? Aren’t they closed for the majority of the year anyway while the politicians are off vacationing on taxpayer dollars or off throwing parties sponsored by the ultra-rich lobbyist parties?

How did this bill come about? How come the President, who is the figurehead of the Democratic Party, can’t convince his own Party to do away with unworthy earmarks throwing tax dollars away? The Democrats are the ones in power in both the House and Senate… and they have been since 2006. I suppose the Republicans are at fault or the Bush administration had something to do with the Democrats flaunting their newfound power and pushing their precious agenda forward at the expense of an already suffering nation. $8 billion more down the drain… in a time when unemployment is on the rise and the stock market is at 12 year lows.

I cannot understand how people can turn a blind eye to what is going on now that the Democratic Party has ultimate control. Obama has turned his back on his campaign promises in an effort to satisfy his true liberal political roots. He is cashing in the American dream to satisfy the debts he owes… the debts he created in becoming President. Oh, you may be one of the naïve people who believe Obama won on his own merits and political rhetoric… hardly. He is a figurehead pushed upon us by a vast legion of liberal elitists. He’s a transparent blowhard politician through and through and they always answer to someone. I’m not a tin foil hat wearer, but where money and power exist, there are people conspiring to gather more of each at all costs.

Obama, our political savior has become nothing more than a rubber stamp for his liberal friends and their policies… well, his policies. At just more than 50 days, Obama’s approval rating has already begun to slip. His own Party is becoming antsy in how he is handling the economic crisis. The $800 billion stimulus bill passed, but not in the manner that made Obama look “Presidential.”

There is nothing that can be done now, Obama will sign his name onto this new bill and we will see another $8 billion burn while many of us continue to lose our jobs, our retirements, and our house that is/was our family’s home. How many politicians do you know who have lost their house… their car… their retirement… anything for that matter? Not one. The Washington political families are safe forever, they have padded their wallets from raping the American citizens for decades… they have only the blackmailing lobbyists to worry about along with their own indecency.

It’s another sad day for the American citizen whether you’re an Obama supporter or not. You are losing your rights, your future, and your Constitution just as I am. If the first 50 days are a representation of what we’ll get for the next 1,400 while Obama is President, there may not be 50 states in our Union. Some states do have sense and we all have a Constitutional right to defend what this country stands for. People forget that states voted to become a part of the Union, the smart ones may remember that we can vote ourselves out of it.

Now, we have passed the initial 50 days of Obama’s term and the DJIA stands at 6,595.16 as we prepare to enter an even more tumultuous economic period. As of right now, the DJIA has had nearly 32% of its value sheared off. Since November, over 2.5 million workers have lost their job… since the beginning of the recession (officially started December 2007) 4.4 million jobs have been lost. It’s fairly obvious that electing our “saving grace” did nothing to cure the confidence in our markets.

These declines have occurred even with Obama pushing massive spending bills through Congress in an effort to stimulate our economy. Bush injected over $750 billion into the economy before he left office along with untold billions of dollars in ancillary stimulus money. Obama has trumped that bill by handing out nearly $800 billion and writing into the federal budget, another $750 billion for 2009. On top of that, Obama has agreed to spend over $400 billion in “health care reform.” Obama’s stimulus plan was pushed upon society as the great job saving machine that would generate 3.5 million jobs… over the next 2 years.

Looking at the analyst’s forecast for the next 2 years, they predict that unemployment will reach 9% this year… it’s at 8.1% as of this article. Next year, they are predicting well over 10% unemployment. These are estimates that were made AFTER Obama’s stimulus plans… wrap your mind around that, or better yet, your wallet… People are unrealistically focused on the unemployment rate when they should be watching the under-employment rate. The under-employment rate takes into account people who have completely given up looking for work and also includes people who are working part time jobs who need full time jobs but cannot find one. This number represents the true state of our job market.

So where does that number stand at today? Try 14.8% on for size. 8.1% unemployment supposedly equals 12.5 million people according to the government stats. 14.8% equals nearly 23 million people either out of work, given up on finding work, or involuntarily working part time jobs. These numbers are based on the idea that 155 million or so Americans work for a living.

Right now, let’s just round off the spending that we know of to $3 trillion. That means that our government has spent almost $20,000 per working American in an effort to stop the bleeding. Have you seen this 20k in your bank account? Have you seen your taxes reduced by 20k this year? Have you seen your house value go up 20k or lose multiple times that in value? Has your stock portfolio increased by 20k or dropped even more? Where is this money going? If the money was going to those who “create” jobs, then why is the economy shedding our jobs at a much faster pace since the money was injected than before?

Common sense would make you think that the injection of these massive amounts of money should have at least given us a plateau in job losses. I understand that the Democrats in the house say that the current economic hardships are the results of the Bush administration’s legacy. Let’s put some rationale to that ideology. The Democrats were in charge of both the House and Senate and also controlled almost 75% of state governorships since 2006. The recession started in December 2007. The Bush administration’s legacy from 2000-2006 was far from a recession. In those years, the Republican Party controlled the majority of political power seats. Sure, the effects of everything takes time to truly pan out, but the turning point was the date the Democrats took control of our country and their inability to curtail their partisanship and hatred of Bush. They allowed their political feelings affect how they governed our country and now we are all paying the price for their failings.

Where did our Presidential placebo go? The bounce we were so focused upon receiving did not happen. Rather than an uptick in our financial markets, a curtailing of our job losses, and a wealthier nation, we are now at a point where we are just entering the deepest valleys of this recession. I am convinced that we are going to see even worse times as we search for the rock bottom of our economic downturn. Millions more Americans will lose their jobs, billions more American taxpayer dollars will be spent without our agreement, and our stocks will continue to fall while we watch the foreclosure signs weather in our yards and our bank accounts shrink into penny savings. The placebo didn’t work and neither is spending money we don’t have. Placebo… we need the real deal.

Even with an overwhelming majority in both the House and Senate, Obama has faced some difficult experiences in his first month when trying to push through his ideology and policy decisions. Yes, the majority of what he wants has come to pass, but not without spending a considerable amount of his theoretical and generally worthless, political capital. There have been disastrous cabinet appointee failures and there have been unfavorable responses to some of his proposed stimulus bill policies among many other minor disturbances.

I distinctly remember the night Obama invoked his awe inspiring acceptance speech on the night of our general election. I also distinctly remember him telling the millions of Americans who did not vote for him how he was going to be their President too. He told us that he was going to walk down the aisle of bi-partisanship. He told us he was going to bring change to Washington. He told us he was going to work for the people to make our nation what it once was. Little more than 30 days into his Presidency, is he keeping his promises he made that night? Is he keeping the promises he made on the campaign trail?

Well, number one, Obama brought no change to Washington as he did nothing more than appoint Washington insiders to every post he has been given a chance to fill. He has mined the standby Democratic powers that be to the fullest. Where is the new blood? Where is the “Yes we can” ideology? Why do we have to sit back and watch the same politicians who have been running our government for generations continue their abuse of power over the American citizen? Why… when the single most important aspect of Obama’s campaign was change?

If I had voted for Obama, I would be sitting pretty uncomfortable right now because the man I would have voted for is not the man sitting in the Oval Office at this point in time. Sure, he has another 47 months to change how we perceive him, but hey, there is something to first impressions… I’ve got some numbers from the latest polls that show all is not well with the savior of the free world’s first month.

In only 30 days, Obama’s approval rating has dropped by nearly 10 percentage points. Two out of three Americans currently approve of how Obama is doing. That is still an extremely high number, but a nine percent drop in one month should be extremely worrisome for Obama supporters. Where did the drop come from? There are three segments polled, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. Of course the Republican vote dropped the most from 50 percent to a drastically reduced 31 percent. Hey, even half of the Republican crowd gave Obama the benefit of the doubt… only to be shown his true colors in less than one month how the liberal Obama would govern our country.

The other two segments dropped as follows: Independents (the ones who actually voted Obama into office) dropped to 61 from 67 percent. Democrats basically held steadfast to their banker, err, I mean President with 92 percent, slightly down from 96 percent. If I were a Democrat, I would be pretty happy with what has transpired during the first month because by selling my vote, I now have more federal money coming my way that I haven’t worked for at the expense of those who do. I’ve also got more tax rebates coming my way that I don’t deserve because I didn’t pay anything in taxes during the year. It’s a great system at this juncture for a Democrat and the Democratic voting bloc.

First month jitters or the real Obama? Which one is it? My vote is that it’s the real Obama. The one with puppet strings tied to massive bank accounts of unknown campaign contributors. He is the one with ultra liberal policies who lied to the American public about his stance regarding bi-partisanship. As my bank account, 401k, home value, and confidence shrinks, there are others in the country receiving the benefits of selling their vote by sharing the shrinking wealth of those who work and earn their living. The first month jitters are costing millions of Americans jobs, money, and their future.

Upon first glance at that sentence, I would imagine we all turn our focus to an external enemy… an enemy from across the shores, a physical and political enemy. However, I believe the enemy is actually our own citizens within our society today. O’Reilly wrote this knowing that and has identified the threat as an entity he labels the “Secular Progressives” or S-P for short. I will label this segment of our society as our “insurgents.”

Yes, I label them with such drastic measure because the effects of their ultra liberal policies destroy the basic American moral values which we were founded upon. The American insurgency, aka insurrectionists or secessionists in my opinion, are looking to change the landscape into that of total anarchy. Our way of life, if they have their way, will change forever into something that could split the nation in a way we haven’t seen since the Civil War. No longer is slavery or women’s rights at stake, our nation’s moral and ethical value system is at stake.

Fighting for our individual rights is one thing, fighting for the continued life of our nation is another. The insurgents are pushing policies which are held by a very small percentage of our society. However, that percentage is growing and is funded by some of the wealthiest people in America. They have the ability to get their message out because they are in de facto control of the nation’s media outlets. They control the television air waves, a large portion of the radio waves, and have created propaganda spewing internet sites which are in place to lure unsuspecting youth into their control.

This is not a fight of Republican versus Democrat. It is not a fight between Conservatives and Liberals. This is a fight between the standard American citizen who holds our moral and ethical value set close to their heart and those who wish to remove all moral and ethical standards while replacing them with what is by default, chaos and anarchy.

Over 80% of our nation’s citizens consider themselves Christians. As such, they are bound by certain basic moral and ethical standards. If our nation has its moral and ethical standards destroyed by a small, but extremely powerful insurgency, expect a revolution by those who wish to uphold what the United States of America stands for.

Creating a society where anarchy and chaos rules serves two major purposes… greed and selfishness. If there are no moral and ethical rules to follow, what exactly is there to keep the average human being in line other than a basic understanding of what is right and wrong? And even then, right and wrong can be argued and litigated until wrong is right and right is wrong. Our society will simply focus on individual satisfaction at all costs because it’s our “right.”

Do we need the government to uphold our standard moral and ethical views? Do we need laws in place to tell us how to live correctly? It appears that we do because if the insurgents had their way, our country would already be in chaos. No longer does it appear that we have the innate sense to know what is right and wrong while living in society. No longer does it appear that we can govern ourselves in a free society effectively as the insurgents continue to gain power. No longer does it appear that we know how to live without greed and selfishness.

In the end, the country will make a decision. Will those of us who stand for something greater than the individual stand up for our country or will we simply allow the insurgency decide for us how to live our lives? I’m not telling you to stand up and start a militia in preparation for a revolution, I am telling you to use the most powerful tool in your arsenal… your vote. Yes, we just finished one our biggest elections, but it never stops. Speak up, write letters, attend a rally, do something other than allow the insurgents have their way because we are too lazy or pacified. They are the weaker force… we must band together and stop them before it’s too late. At that point in time, we may be beyond the simple casting a vote phase and into a full blown revolution.

The American way of life is worth fighting for. No, not the “American life” of greed and selfishness, but the way of life our forefathers fought and died to protect. If we do our part, our country can be reclaimed and once again be that shining beacon of hope to all who want freedom.

Could you make that statement to your spouse and have an intelligent conversation? Well, my wife is not a Liberal Agenda type of person. She believes in the same fundamental rights I believe our government protects and we also share the same beliefs in how distinguished moral and ethical behavior should be paramount in any person we elect. I would whole heartedly expect her to say the same thing… she could not marry a Liberal Agenda believing man. You may be saying that love in the truest form can overcome such a trivial affiliation. I beg to differ.

The separation of a Democrat who has subscribed to the Liberal Agenda differs from the moderate Democrat and all forms and segments of the Republican Party. They have views that distort what truly matters most. These differences are not issues that can be compromised on for the most part. These differences are belief differences, not political process differences. Issues such as health care, immigration, taxation, and many other governmental talking points can all be debated and compromises can be reached that can satisfy all parties involved. However, there are certain aspects of the Liberal Agenda member that unequivocally separates them from the non Liberalized crowd.

Primarily, the issue of abortion is a core factor creating this vast difference. The Liberal Agenda Democrat will forever support abortion as a woman’s right. There is no compromise. The rest of us either believes in some kind of limitation of abortion to rape, incest, and potential mother death or completely ruled out unless the mother’s life is in peril. These two opposite sides of belief cannot be bridged with compromise. It’s an either/or situation. Can someone who believes a child’s life doesn’t carry any significance be married to someone who believes a child’s life should be regarded as one of the most pure and innocent blessings we have as human beings?

Another divisive issue is of course gay marriage. Democratic Liberal Agenda policy followers believe that everyone should be allowed to marry and receive the all inclusive tax benefits from doing so. Everyone else resides anywhere from agreeing only to Civil Unions to not even supporting that. Can someone who truly believes homosexuals should be allowed to rewrite what the institution of marriage consists of be married to someone who believes that it is morally, ethically, and spiritually wrong do to so?

Liberal Agenda followers believe in the basic fact that everyone should get to do anything they want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. Get pregnant and don’t want to deal with nine months of pregnancy and a commitment to raising a child? Abort it. It’s your right, right? Are you gay and want to have the same benefits as a married couple? Change what marriage means so you can get the tax benefit. It’s your right, right? Want to smoke marijuana because it makes you feel good? Legalize drugs. It doesn’t hurt anyone but the drug user right? It’s your right to harm yourself if you wish, right? Want to remove all references to God and Christianity from education and our justice system because it may be offensive? Pass laws to remove it. It’s your right, right?

So, I stand by my comment. I could not and would not marry a Liberal Agenda Democrat. I don’t believe true love can exist in a situation with such disparate viewpoints. This is an either/or situation. I believe a standard Democrat and Republican can be happy together in marriage with a few bumps. But as we have seen, the middle of the road Democrat or Republican is a dying species. Our world has become divided by canyons of ideological differences that cannot be bridged by simple compromises. How we move forward will be a continuous struggle because at the root of our differences is actually our spiritual belief system. Religion has and always will be the major difference between us while we spend our time on this earth.

With that out of the way, what are the issues that determines which Democrat believes in Liberal Agenda policies? I’m not going to go into great detail on each one as I don’t want to enrage or put to sleep those who may be reading. The issues are in no order of importance and only appear as I randomly write them from my mind to digital paper.

Issue: Abortion

The Liberals would like you to believe that abortion has nothing to do with the child being grown in a mother’s body. They want you to focus upon the rights the mother has as it pertains to her body. While every human being has specific rights when it comes to their own body, a child changes the equation and the rights of that mother. Unborn babies have rights of their own and cannot be discounted. Abortion is the destruction of an unborn baby’s rights. Support abortion and support the minimizing of a child’s life.

Issue: Progressive Taxes

Democrats subscribing to the Liberal Agenda believe that it is the “patriotic duty” of the “wealthy” to pay massive penalties in the form of taxes to cover the hardships of the less wealthy citizenship. Spread the wealth is a socialist/Marxist/Communist tenet and is a focal point of the Liberal Agenda. If you enjoy free markets and American capitalism, you will vehemently oppose this ideology. Wealthy people “spread the wealth” by donations and by providing jobs for the society, not by being forced to return their earned wealth to the government for “appropriate” redistribution.

Issue: Gun Control

Many Liberals will try and make you believe that guns are at the root of all evil. An outright ban or severe limitation of who can own a weapon is another core item on the liberal’s agenda. Now, the liberals in power will of course be allowed to retain their gun ownerships, but the general citizen will not be allowed to exercise their constitutional right to own a weapon. Just to make a note, I don’t believe a citizen should own military grade, fully automatic weapons or explosives. Making a gun scary looking does not make it a military weapon. Semi-automatic guns are well within our rights as law abiding citizens. If a ban of the weapon itself cannot be achieved by the liberals, watch for ammunition bans…

Issue: Homosexual Marriage

Liberals wish to rewrite the general concept that marriage consists of one man and one woman entering into a lifelong commitment (a commitment which our Christian forefathers helped found this nation upon). They wish to include same-sex couples and redefine the institution of marriage. The reasoning for this primarily resides around the fact that same-sex couples are not afforded the same “rights” natural married couple enjoy. Tax credits from joint filing, child credits, and the list goes on. Civil unions are not enough… they want marriage redefined to include homosexual couples.

Issue: Government Control

Every issue the Liberal Agenda entails basically comes from this all encompassing issue. Liberals believe that the government should have ultimate control of our society. The rights of the citizens are trivialized because the liberals believe they can satisfy the public by doing everything for them. They believe a country RUN by the government makes things “better” for everyone. I believe the government is here to protect our rights, not disseminate them to us. If we subscribe to the Liberal Agenda, we are headed for a Marxist regime in sheep’s clothing.

There are many other issues involving affirmative action, government sponsored healthcare, foreign policy, and immigration just to name a few. But, I believe the above issues are more than enough to determine if you are of the mind to accept the Liberal Agenda or not. If you do not, it doesn’t make you a conservative or even a Republican. There are lots of Democrats who do not subscribe to the Liberal Agenda. However, more and more of the Democratic Party politicians are fully invested in the Liberal Agenda and these issues are their policy decision makers. Keep your eyes open to the true issues and remember you have rights not because the government gave them to you, but because you are an American citizen.

Have I become apathetic because I’m accepting the fact that we are going to be a nation led by the most liberal President ever in our history? Am I apathetic because the only other valid choice is an aged war veteran who has been manicured by Washington D.C. over 30 years of political “service?” Am I apathetic because our likely next President has issued statements over the last year indicating that his “faith in the American people was vindicated” only AFTER he won the Iowa caucus vote in the Primary race? Is it because our likely next First Lady issues a statement nearly nine months ago that “for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country” and that she is no longer “feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment…?”

The Obama family has consistently made statements such as these. Sure, every citizen at some point has become disenfranchised, disappointed, and angry with the state of our government, but when has our citizenship ever been called into question as a country? Obama feels that his “faith in the American people” was “vindicated.” Why did it need vindication? The citizens are not the problem with this country… it’s the politicians and the government who we have elected who were SUPPOSED to be working on our behalf that is the problem. Why has Michelle Obama only now become proud of her country because her husband has been placed on the political pedestal he currently sits upon? I have my issues with this country, but the fact is, I’m proud of it and always have been… even when we faced the international shame Bill Clinton brought upon us with his lewd behavior while in office.

The Obama family believes in change and supposedly offers the American society something different. What exactly are they offering different that hasn’t been promised to us for decades? People seem to disregard the Obama’s attending of a church led by a radical Black Liberation enthusiast for 20 years. Why do you think Barack needs the society to be “vindicated” and why do you think Michelle has felt “alone” and “frustrated and disappointed?” Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr. has repeatedly utilized his pulpit to disparage America and brainwash his congregation with his liberation “theology.” After 20 years of supposed attendance, the Obama family should well in fact be frustrated and disappointed in the American citizenship and require its vindication because they have been TAUGHT this position.

I agree, we need change in our government but does anyone really think ONE person can effectively change the landscape which has been created over 200+ years? Does anyone think ONE person can fix our ailing economy? Does anyone think ONE person can fix all of America’s ills? This is what the Obama campaign has been selling. They SAY Barack is the one to bring about change and have utilized mass media brainwashing techniques in an effort to sway the public. In the end, it appears that the millions of campaign dollars will have just done that. After about a BILLION dollars spent, Obama appears likely to become our next President.

We are going to have a President who has never been an executive at any level of importance. We are going to have a Vice President with his only notoriety being that he is prone to make “public gaffes.” We are going to have a First Lady who has a lingering distaste for the public she will serve. We will have a Presidential family who has been spiritually taught and mentored for 20 years that they were oppressed by the American society which they will become in charge of.

So, I sit here apathetic, resigned to the fact that our country is being misled by someone we truly don’t know anything about. Sure, Obama promises us a better economy, more jobs, and lower taxes, but where does he stand on the real issues? Do we trust his moral and ethical values? Do we trust in him? Do you trust his family? Do you trust his past? Even though Obama has been on the campaign trail for two years, we still don’t really know anything outside of the same old promises that have been made by every politician I’ve ever seen.

Citation: http://www.foxnews.com/

I compare Obama’s political campaign to the New England Patriots team of last year. They were undefeated, rarely threatened, and were anointed as the best NFL football team ever to grace the playing field. They were even given superstar treatment as they converted their perfect regular season by having their final regular season game shown on multiple major television networks… a first. It sounds similar to Obama’s campaign does it not? He’s the front runner, the early appointee, the unbeatable superstar of the political arena.

McCain’s campaign is also comparable to a football team of last year, the New York Giants. New York had their issues and labored through many games while on their way to the playoffs. They weren’t seen as an NFL championship caliber team, but they had a fighter’s chance by being in the playoffs. Anything can happen when it’s a single elimination playoff. In the end, the dominant Patriots were beaten by the upstart Giants ruining their attempt at a perfect season. To many Patriots fans, they stole something that wasn’t supposed to be theirs. They didn’t “deserve” to be champions.

Now, we see this situation in our current political process. Obama has been in the spotlight since he entered the race and has received rock star status since “defeating” Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primary races. McCain is basically the Republican sacrificial lamb similar to what Bob Dole was when he ran against Bill Clinton. However, McCain still has that fighter’s chance. Just like the Giants proved, anything can happen. Polls before the election are not actual votes cast. Come Tuesday night next week, we could see a 4^th quarter comeback similar to Ronald Reagan’s comeback in 1980.

Yes, the McCain supporters are right to be nervous and worried because all facts point to a landslide victory for Obama based on current polls. But, until the actual votes are counted, he’s still in this race and until that last vote has been counted, he has not lost.

Excited or worried, we all still must vote. Vote for something more than money. Vote for someone who has the ethical and moral standards we can trust and believe in. As I’ve said before, don’t vote and you don’t get to complain.

Factor 1: Moral & Ethical Makeup

This is my ultimate tie-breaker, game changer, and make or break factor. If a candidate does not display these qualities, there can never be a level of trust which would involve me casting my vote for that candidate. Liars, immoral people, and untrustworthy politicians are at the root of the problems we are facing these days. If more people factored in the real person hiding behind the Party’s ticket, we would not have the overwhelming governmental problems we are facing today.

Factor 2: Economic Policy

I put economic policy on a fairly high standard because of a simple historical fact. If the United States fails to be an economic super power, then we are at risk of an inevitable collapse. Countries and governments cannot survive and be stable for the long term without solid economic policy. History has shown and proved this fact time and again. Strong economic policy is a must. Creating jobs, taxation policy, trade agreements… all are key components when determining who should be your choice.

Factor 3: Constitutional Rights Policy

Within this segment, I focus upon our rights as citizens. How does the candidate deal with and support our Constitution? Does the candidate uphold what our forefathers detailed and supported via the Bill of Rights? If a candidate prefers to rationalize and shred the documents our country was founded upon, it’s a deal breaker no matter what the other factors direct me to do.

Factor 4: Military Policy

Our President, our commander in chief, MUST have a strong military policy. We cannot rely upon diplomacy as our first weapon of defense in every situation. We must not rely upon the United Nations to protect our interests abroad. We MUST focus on creating and maintaining the most technologically advanced military in the world. We MUST have the best trained fighting force and have the best equipped service men and women.

Factor 5: Foreign Policy

Foreign policy has become more important through the years as our world becomes “closer.” No longer can we utilize isolationist policies and be competent. We must focus upon globalization and focus upon the world community when interacting with the foreign communities.

There are many other factors which affect people’s choices but I believe if you find a candidate who satisfies the above factors, the remaining factors will fall into place. What about education policy or health care policy? What about civil rights? What about immigration policy or affirmative action policy? As I said, there are many factors and each of us has varying degrees of sensitivity to them. But, when it comes down to it, our President should MASTER the above five categories and if that is the case, all underlying policy decisions will likely be satisfied accordingly.

If you don’t know where your candidate falls within each category, then you have some investigating to do. If you vote and don’t know what they stand for, you are hurting not only yourself, but the entire country. Learn what the candidates are about and decide honestly on where they stand and not what you HOPE they will be. One thing to remember, no candidate will ever satisfy your decision tree 100% but you must focus upon the deal breaker factors when you choose. Choose wisely and make an informed vote, our future depends on it.

In my case, I am choosing the lesser of two evils. Truly saddening is it not? Given our country’s current woes and economic standing, we are given two men to choose from that cannot invigorate enough voters to break a basic split down the middle of our country? Are we all that different? Sure, I will bet that come Election Day, the Electoral College will show a landslide victory for Obama and thus he will be anointed our country’s savior. But, when it comes down to it, the voting public will likely be closer to being split down the middle than a 75% for and 25% against vote. For every Obama supporter, you will find a McCain supporter. The Electoral College vote will not show that distinction.

Anyway, back to my topic of endorsements. This weekend and through most of yesterday, we were treated with the ground shaking, earth shattering, monumental news release that former Secretary of State Colin Powell is endorsing Barack Obama as his choice for the next President of the United States. After the vacuum inducing announcement has subsided and with oxygen returning to the room, my lungs can now provide my bloodstream enough oxygen and my consciousness has returned. I think I may have hit my head on the “Duh!” stick on my way down.

Seriously, did ANYONE truly believe Powell would put his political weight behind McCain or ANYONE in the Republican Party at this time? Powell felt the brunt of the Iraq war fiasco while in office during the Bush administration. He was one of the leaders pushing the WMD information forward and asking for votes. After the determination that our intelligence was faulty, Powell lost almost all credibility and thus left his post as Secretary of State as Bush entered his second term. Powell laid low, healed his wounds, and waited for the opportunity to deal as big a blow against those who made him look foolish. That time was and is now.

With about two weeks to go until we vote and with the campaigns winding down, Powell has chosen to cast his lot behind Obama. No more debates, no more major humps to overcome, just hold it steady until the finish line and it’s over. Powell’s announcement was one of the remaining few bullets the Obama campaign had to turn the tables versus McCain. It has been speculated for months that Powell was endorsing Obama, but the announcement did not come until after all the major campaign hurdles had been cleared. He was their shiny silver bullet to mitigate, nullify, and destroy any momentum McCain may have had after the final Presidential debate.

Powell is nothing more than a figurehead, a puppet, and a past figure of what went wrong and not what went right. With Powell choosing the “enemy” over his past alliances, it provided a supposed watershed moment for the Obama campaign. His announcement means absolutely nothing to me. Just as newspaper after newspaper endorses Obama, it means nothing. I equate Powell’s announcement with the support Paris Hilton and Alec Baldwin provide for the Obama campaign… this is publicity and nothing more.

Are there any other glowing endorsements coming Obama’s way? I’m sure there will be. Next thing I know, I’ll be reading that Oprah is going to be part of Obama’s administration when elected. Maybe even Hillary will be offered a position within his administration. She is in a tough position though. When he gets elected and if things go well, her window of opportunity will be closed because he’ll become a two term President. If she thinks he will fail, she will decline any potential job and run against him again in the next Democratic Primary. That is a story I’m interested in. The Clinton name in the Democratic Party has major weight and if she is without a job in his administration after nearly BEATING him for the nomination, something is worth thinking about there.

So, I’m voting, but I’m not endorsing. Don’t vote and you don’t get to argue. Don’t vote and you don’t get to complain.